KJ Dell’Antonia and I published Reading With Babies, Toddlers and Twos with Sourcebooks in 2006. Rachel Payne, Brooklyn Librarian Extraordinaire, helped revise the 2nd edition in 2013.
And now KJ, a writer, blogger and editor at the New York Times, has published a book How to be a Happier Parent with Avery, a division of Penguin Random House.
Well done KJ. Raising a family isn’t easy. Although some days are longer than others, and some battles worse than they need to be, family life doesn’t have to be Ground Hog Day. Be alert to keeping things going, improving things when the inevitable challenges occur, and breathe.
Over the years KJ has been a significant part of the conversation about parenting. Raising four children puts her way ahead of many of us because there are more children involved in her intimate family daily life.
How to be a Happier Parent features several key inevitable flashpoints: siblings, chores, homework, discipline and holidays. For example, she suggests helping an older sibling, envious of the baby’s toys, by defusing the comparison mechanism. “Let’s think about you and what you’re feeling, wanting and wishing instead of what someone else has.” We often want and can never control what someone else has. However, he can control how he reacts to those feelings.
Can you accept the sibling battles? The declarations of hate? Can you accept the negative feelings but not the behavior?
Again, well done KJ. This book is full of wonderful insights and tips for all families. Congratulations to you.
